New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-11
THE SILVER CASKEI.

,,;loet nc cleaning ghostly in the iamp"euC ",
The lonely road. had upset the venice; ou1 hel.n
they nor the driver or passengers ano IN
sGo latter were strangers who met 10y chahce III
a., train and being bound for 1horpe' nOoe
town ten miles from the railway stauoh Ais,O
(lhesham to Join his wife on VISIT ana INC IN a.
man to fish, had agreed to snare Vhe o9 ~
70 be had That fly was now useiess' anu '..S
were stranded half way on their Journey on S,0
bleak windy waste, on that dark Ocoo'oi i"e""
9th NOT so much as a cottage in sight
IT am an unlucky man." said the eidef pas
soncer "a very jonah and he recommended inc
Younger to walk on to Thorpe leaving MN WI" ~
his little prick-cared terrier In cha.ge Vi ~
wreck, till the driver should nave r,uo.n a,,Td ho
town for another carriage, when ne 0oui" III
nicxed up and follow with their luggage. ne
could not walk himself, owing to spear wouhu
In the leo. he EXPLAINED, as if spear wounds were
troubles incidental to British citizens. DuV Ohe'-
ham did not like to leave his new frieha alohe oh
that desolate spot, and dec'dea 10 ,enan 80
him. There was something eminentiy attrac''Vo
m the young civilian in this bronzed and worn
so,dier. whose face bore the traces Oh in"aio
conflict as we'll as of outward hardshPs' anu VIZ
oppeared to be a very Ulysses by his adventures
and infinite endurance, though more moueS' 'n"N
that self-applauding Greek $1,000.
IIo was a retieent man; but the eager interest,"
of his fellow-tfavelIer, whose working days were
nassed i'm an office, and who therefore oenghou
in hearing of active life, drew him out oi h'soh'
and led him to answer question aiter quesuoh'
unti, a whole Odyssey unfolded itself ana was
Snitnrrod NV n little Iiiad, in which Hicks Pacha
Was n leader, and which broke off in its beginning
ON account of the spear wound ment'oneu areaoS'
Another mile, they were told, would take theh
TO lonely cottage, where they couid shei'er iiv"
the cold drizzle sweeping over the waste; DuU ,iie
stranger did not feel equal to walking mle' ana
stood scanning the blurred surroundings IN search
of some nearer refuge, while the little prlcK-earea
terrier sat on his tail and surveyed MN WIN an
expectant air. Soon he pointed through wn"'
seemed to Gresham impenetrable darkness 10
vague something blacker than the surrounding
backness I'VE will go there" he said, and'
taking one of the carriage lamps, started stfalght
over the open down with quick though hai'hs
stem for the vague object which proved TO DC
small wooden hut mounted on wheels, such as
shepherds use on the southdowns.
Gresham would never have discovered any tnine
but darkness in that unpromising place, nor would
no have dreamed of appropriating the discovery,
rs his military friend did, by forcing the lockeo
door at the top of the wooden steps. On entering
the riclxcty little box he thought their SITUATION
not much improved until his experienced coih-
panion in the course of five minutes chec'ed
most comfortable change in the comiortiess shcd
First he found little store of wood and bracken
with which he kndled q fire in the empty stove;
then he turned a bucket upside down Tor one seao
and Lulled q box out of corner for another, dis
posing the rugs round the extemporlzed sats SO
the ill-ftting door.
when the wood is gone we will burn that he
said pointing to q wooden locker. "A few
shllngs Will make things square with the shep-
herd The marking iron will serve as an axe.
The pot you have just upset contains reddle IL
is indeible. Poor Jock is marked, see."
Harmless and poetic is the sheep with all It's
associations, its OdOr is not agreeable, as the
travellers soon discovered when the warmth
brought out the native perfume of the little box ;
but this defect soon remedicd by means OF
their pipes aud they wose perfectly comfortable
in their shelter, while the rain Missed the
down and tapped sharply on tie wooden roof
and Jock curled himself costly by the stove at
his masters feet.
"Who could exlect such snug little box in
so drcary spOt?" moralized the civilian. Life
is string of unexpected things"
While he assented to this pIatitude, the soldiers
glance wandered to the parcel Mr.. Chesham had
brought with him from the broken carriage, and
placed with care upon the wooden locker, which
apparently served the shepherd for a bed Mt a
pinch The parcel had travelled in the train
under the immediate scrutiny of its owner, and
had been carried by him to the unluclly lily, where
again it had been under his supervision until the
catastrophe occurred. 1t was rather large to
carry in the hand, and had been fastened by
strong cord tied over its brown paper wrappngs,
and when, in an attempt to render the broken
harness seryceable, string had been needed, Ches-
his packet, and had only yielded 10 the driver S
absolute necessity of tying the harness together
Buii ntly toenable him to ride back to the station
"Ah. that precious parcel" the younger trav
cler said, following the officers glance, my
conscience misgives me for having united it. /
have sworn a mighty oath not 10 let it out of my
sight,
1T is not yours ?" returned the officer in
differently.
ut belongs TO my wifes aunt, and may, for
all know, contain the will which dsinherits
us,n he replied. The only known facts con-
corning the mysterious parcel are that il was
too precious TO follow Aunt Dora on round Of
visits, or to travel with the rest of her effects
to her new house at Thorpe, and was therefore
solcmnly committed to our charge until she should
be settled in her new home, and that it is said
to contain documents Of untold value. 1t has
caused us many wakeful nights, and proved a
fruitful cause OF dissenson between my wife and
myself. Our most severe quarrel arose from a
dispute as TO which Of us should personally convey
IL TO Aunt Dora. OF course l had 70 give in, and
there the COMPOUNDED thing is, and united, as
you see."
surely no one would send valuable papers
about in that way?'
IL perceive that you are not married man.
n you were you would know that ladies invaria-
bly place their valuables in the most insecure
PAGES. When my. wife goes to town for a day IS
shopping she carries her purse in her hand for
greater safety. The consequence is that when it
is not snatched from her in a crowd, she either
drops or mislays it. Marriage is expensive
amusement
The elder man smiled induigently and. looking
On the sunny face Of the younger, felt his heart
20 out to him as our hearts go out to the young
and happy then again he looked at the parcel,
which had an unaccountable fascination for him,
and saw its stiff paper foldings culver slowly
apart In the ftful glow from the stove Just
then Gresham jumped up with an exclamation Of
aismay, and shook the frail tenement so that the
wrappings fell further back from the parcel, dis
closing something bright within.
Anything wrong?" asked his companion.
"My poclzet-book" he replied, feeling all his
pockets one after the other; II shall never be
able to tease nv wife again after this. could